IDEAS FOR A MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE CLASSROOM

Ideas For a Middle School Science Classroom

I hope to be a middle school science teacher who uses an inquiry-based approach to
teaching. There are many characteristics unique to middle school students because they are
changing from children into teenagers and these characteristics provide interesting opportunities
and challenges to their teachers. As a future middle school teacher, it is important for me to learn
about these unique characteristics so that I can select the most appropriate and effective
instructional tools possible.
I begin this paper with an examination of the traits that are common in most middle
school students and are relevant to their education. I then describe how I will use an inquirybased approach to motivate my students, use assessments to foster learning in my classroom, and
integrate technology to meet the needs of all my students. Finally, I lay out a plan for where I
would like to take my learning from this point forward.
Middle School Students are Works in Progress
Middle school students are in many states of transition; they are changing physically,
emotionally, socially, and cognitively (Snowman and McCown, 2013, p. 58). These changes
create a new kind of diversity that middle school teachers must be aware of so that they can
build on learners strengths and needs (CCSSO, 2011, p. 10).
Physically, this group of students is growing rapidly and unevenly as they begin to
mature from children into adults (Snowman and McCown, 2013, p. 58). However, different
students mature at different times, referred to as early maturation and late maturation, which will
affect not only their physical characteristics, but also behavioral ones (Snowman and McCown,
2013, p. 59). It will be important for me to remember that two students can be exactly the same
in all ways except maturation, but that difference alone means they will need different things

IDEAS FOR A MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE CLASSROOM

(Snowman and McCown, 2013, p. 59). The multiple types and stages of transition create another
type of diversity that is perhaps unique to the middle school environment. Students will be
changing at different times, which will create one type of diversity, but these changes also mean
that students themselves will be different from one day to the next. I think that the best way to
address the diversity created by differences in these changing students is to follow the advice of
Alan in the video Understanding Adolescents when he says teachers just need to listen.
(Cengage Learning, 2013) By listening to the students, I will have a better chance of
understanding where a student is coming from and therefore will be better able to meet his or her
needs.
Emotions are intense in middle school students, who are also self-conscious and selfcentered during this time (Snowmand and McCown, 2013, p. 62). As a result, they often feel that
no one has ever experienced what they are going through (Snowman and McCown, 2013, p. 62).
I think that this leads them to feel alone, which is why I believe it is so important for middle
school teachers to really listen to their students.
Middle school students are also changing socially; they are learning how to analyze and
understand other peoples feelings and their desire to conform peaks during this time (Snowman
and McCown, 2013, p. 60). Peer acceptance is extremely important to middle school students,
because of their desire to conform, so it is important to avoid making students stand out for any
reason (Snowman and McCown, 2013, p. 60). For example, corrective feedback should be given
privately whenever possible and I will work hard to avoid situations where I ask students to
voice minority opinions publicly (Snowman and McCown, 2013, p. 60).
Middle school is an exciting time cognitively because: students can handle more abstract
and complex tasks; they can work independently of the teacher; and self-efficacy is becoming an

IDEAS FOR A MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE CLASSROOM

important influence (Snowman and McCown, 2013, p. 63). Middle school students need
autonomy and I will enable them to make as many decisions as possible about their learning
(Snowman and McCown, 2013, p. 63). According to Snowman and McCown (2013), middle
school is an excellent time to use constructivist learning principles and I hope to use inquirybased learning in my middle school science classroom (Snowman and McCown, 2013, p. 63).
Motivating Middle School Students
I would like to use an inquiry-based approach in my middle school science classroom that
would operate similarly to the one shown in Inquiry-Based Learning in the Science Classroom
(Atkins, 2015). Students in the video are motivated to learn because they are answering a
question, if it's safe to tube in the water, that is relevant to them because I swim here every
summer (Atkins, 2015). According to Daniel Pink (Azzam, 2014), theres a rich body of
evidence showing that when people know why theyre doing something, they do it better (p.
17). If students are interested in an activity because it is relevant to them, they will also be
motivated to learn the tools that they need to answer the question because they know why they
need those tools.
Middle school students are able to reflect on their own intellect when they turn their
newfound social analytic abilities inward (Snowman and McCown, 2013, p. 63). I think this
makes it an excellent time to help them develop metacognitive skills. Metacognition is
knowledge about the operations of cognition and how to use them to achieve a learning goal
(Snowman and McCown, 2013, p. 180). An inquiry-based approach will help foster
metacognition because, if done correctly, students will be working on topics they want to learn
more about and when they are genuinely interested and motivated to learn about a topic of
study, students are apt to sustain interest in thinking about a project over the long haul (Wilson,

IDEAS FOR A MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE CLASSROOM

2014). Modeling is also an important way to teach metacognition (Wilson, 2014). As a teacher, I
can think out loud and model my metacognitive skills. I will also encourage students to think
about the various conditions that affect how they learn and remember (Snowman and
McCown, 2013, p. 181). In the video Inquiry-Based Learning in the Science Classroom, the
students present their results as an infographic, which I think provides an opportunity to teach
metacognition (Atkins, 2015). I think this would be an excellent opportunity to teach
metacognition by asking them questions about how they presented their results, why they chose
to present their data that way, and how it differs from other students work.
An inquiry-based approach should also help students become self-regulated learners
because they are working to answer a question that is relevant to them and their experiences. I
think that this relevance and their own curiosity will motivate them to assume greater
responsibility for their learning, which is an important component of self-regulated learning
(Atkins, 2015; Snowman and McCown, 2013, p. 188). Self-regulation skills vary from student to
student and the main cause for the variation is each students perceived self-efficacy, or how
prepared they think they are to handle a task or problem (Snowman and McCown, 2013, p. 188
and p. 65). Teachers should be especially careful in middle school to create conditions that will
nurture students feelings of self-efficacy because it is at this age that self-efficacy plays an
increasingly important role in intellectual and social behavior (Snowman and McCown, 2013, p.
63). Norm-referenced grading should be avoided as much as possible because it can damage
students feelings of self-efficacy (Snowman and McCown, 2013, p. 240).
Assessments in Middle School
Research has shown that middle school teachers should foster the perception that the
purpose of education is personal growth, not competition for grades (Snowman and McCown,

IDEAS FOR A MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE CLASSROOM

2013, p. 63). I think this is a good place to start when thinking about how to use assessments at
any level. In my classroom, I will use formative assessments as much as possible and I will
nurture the idea that assessments are valuable tools for students and teachers to use to guide
learning (Snowman and McCown, 2013, p. 309). There are many important benefits, particularly
at the middle school level, to teaching students how to assess their own work and how to use
those data to guide their own learning (Mindshift, 2014). The most important benefit is that this
practice can lead to the student developing a growth mindset and improving their perceived selfefficacy (Mindshit, 2014). Summative assessments are also important, but I will choose them
carefully so that they support the learning philosophy in my class. In inquiry-based learning,
assessments of learning take varied forms and often involve projects or solutions presented by
the students instead of the more commonly used tests.
Technology Integration in Middle School
Students today are digital natives and technology has already been integrated into their
lives (Lynch, 2014, p. 290). It is extremely important, therefore, to include technology in the
middle school classroom because, without it, I think that the students are less likely to find the
learning relevant. Fortunately, research has shown that technology can be quite beneficial to
many aspects of learning and it can be used effectively to address areas that are particularly
important during the middle school years. One of the strongest benefits of using technology is
that it can adapt to each students needs and accommodate diverse abilities and learning styles.
Snowman and McCown (2013) present the results from many studies that demonstrate the
productive role technology can play in the development and support of students (self-regulated
learning) skills (Snowman and McCown, 2013, p. 208). A constructivist approach has already
been established as a good approach for teaching middle school, and there are many ways that

IDEAS FOR A MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE CLASSROOM

computer-based technology can be used to support a constructivist approach (Snowman and
McCown, 2013, p. 231). Computer applications that are particularly useful in constructivist
learning allow students to construct, share and revise knowledge in open-ended environments
(Snowman and McCown, 2013, p. 231).
Technology will be an integral part of my inquiry-based classroom. My students and I
will use the Internet to identify or refine the questions that we want to ask that will guide our
learning. When it comes time to collect information and data, I will encourage my students to use
any digital methods that will get the job done effectively. I am hopeful that this is one area where
my students will teach me about new ways to use technology. As mentioned previously, many
inquiry-based approaches end with the students completing a project or presenting a solution to a
problem. Thinking about the use of technology in this last step makes me very excited because I
know that my students will use technology in ways that I cannot even fathom. In summary, I will
give my students the freedom to use technology in any way that is relevant to our learning goals
in my inquiry-based classroom.
Conclusion
I still have a lot to learn about using an inquiry-based approach to teach middle school science.
However, through writing this paper, I have learned that there are many aspects to this
constructivist teaching tool that will be extremely beneficial to my future students. Moving
forward, I plan to learn more about the benefits of inquiry-based learning, research any
downsides to using this approach, and experiment with some inquiry-based lesson ideas. At each
step along the way, I will assess if what I am learning changes my plans for my future classroom.

IDEAS FOR A MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE CLASSROOM

References
Atkins, K. (Producer). (2015, August 18). Inquiry-Based Learning in the Science Classroom.
Edutopia. [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/practice/inquiry-basedlearning-science-classroom

Azzam, A. (2014). Motivated to Learn: A Conversation with Daniel Pink. Educational

Leadership: September 2014. pp. 12-17.

Cengage Learning, Inc. (2013). Social and Emotional Development: Understanding

Adolescents. [Video]. Retrieved from
http://coursemate.cengage.com/CPReader/View/9781111841973/default.aspx?eI
SBN=9781111841973#7cb588fb-4c55-4e07-a57b-d51c65802a9e

Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). (2011, April). Interstate Teacher Assessment
and Support Consortium (InTASC) Model Core Teaching Standards: A Resource
for State Dialogue. Washington, DC: Author.

Lynch, M. (2014). The Call to Teach: An Introduction to Teaching. Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson.

Mindshift. (2014, September 8). Making Students Partners in Data-Driven Approaches to

Learning. Mindshift:KQED News. Retrieved from

IDEAS FOR A MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE CLASSROOM

http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/09/08/how-students-can-be-partners-in-data- drivenapproaches-to-learning/

Snowman, J., & McCown, R. (Eds.). (2013). Ed Psych. Belmont: Wadsworth.

Wilson, D. (2014, October 7). Metacognition: The Gift That Keeps Giving. Edutopia. [Web log].
Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/metacognition-gift-that-keeps-givingdonna-wilson-marcus-conyers